The sky over the Heavenly Phoenix Range had turned colourful. Fireworks crackled across the night sky, shaped like phoenixes, dragons, and flags, painting the skies with joy and chaos.
Cheers erupted like thunder as the final flagpole was slammed onto the judgment platform by a fierce, wild-looking woman dressed in beast pelts and leather bands, her breath steaming like a beast's.
The elders sitting atop the Sky Pavilion finally stood up.
A main elder named Tang stepped into the sky, hovering above everyone.
"The first round… ends now!" His voice rang out, amplified by a spirit echo talisman. "Of the ten thousand who entered the sacred Pagoda of Trials, only five thousand have emerged with their flagpoles intact. The rest… either fell, fled, or failed."
The crowd roared, echoing across the floating stages. Flames of celebration lit the perimeter, and spirit bands began playing, their music laced with hypnotic runes that made even the stiffest spectators tap their feet.
